Darkness Follows
by TOONSRULE
Summary: It's only been a few months after the Vikings welcomed the dragons into their village, but it doesn't mean everything is better. With the land dying and Hiccup being haunted by nightmares, it's evident that something lurks in the darkness of their world
1. Chapter 1

_I… can't breath…._

_I was floating in absolute blackness, my limbs limp next to me, my mouth wide open in a desperate attempt to get air into my burning lungs. Where am I, am I dreaming? It's never felt so real, I really can't move._

_This wasn't suppose to be happening, am I going to die in a dream?_

_A light suddenly appeared before me, air arriving as well, filling my lungs quickly. Coughing, I moaned as I was able to move my arms and legs, everything feeling ver sore. My hands curled into fists, something crumbling easily against the grip. Lifting my hand, I opened it and watched as small piers of ash flew out. Looking to either side, I found myself laying on a long stretch of ash, ends disappearing into darkness._

_"What… what's happening, where am I?" I sled weakly, sitting up cautiously._

**Help… us…**

_I jumped as a voice whispered right behind me, causing me to turn around quickly. A large ash tree towered over me, its coloring a sick gray, the leaves black and curling. I watched as a few strips of ash del down, adding to the already large amount at it's base. _

_"Did… did you just talk to me?" I stood, walking slowly to the base of the tree._

**It hurts… so much….**

_"What does?"_

**Please… make it stop…. Heal us….**

_"H-Heal, I don't know how, what are you talking about?" I touched the peeling trunk gently. A shot of pain jolted through my arm, jumping back in surprise. I let out a strangled yell of fear as my arm turned to ash and crumbled away._

**Heal us… before you disappear as well….**

**~linebreak~**

I shot up, a scream ripping from my throat, eyes wide with fear. I quickly examined my arm, calming slightly finding both still attached, none of them made from ash. A grunt of worry sounded as something rough and scaly pressed against me, green eyes staring at me thought the darkness.

"T-Toothless, hey buddy," I wrapped my arms around him, "I-I'm fine, just fine, only a dream…. Another horrible dream…." I clutched tighter to Toothless, trying to calm myself.

I'd been having dreams for months now, ever since my village had welcome dragons to live with us. Since then, for whatever reason, some weird things had occurred, beyond the typical one day of sun. The plants started to wither, fish seemed harder to catch, even the dragons seemed more on edge. Dreams of death and destruction started to haunt me, I'm not able to sleep anymore, and I've somehow become much weaker.

My father blames the food shortages and the strange events for the lack of space, no room to grow. He declared that the village needed to explore new lands, see where we could expand, deciding that he would gather a group of Vikings to explore what the world had to offer. I tried to tell him about my dreams, that something was wrong, not just with our lands, but that everywhere else was dying as well. But he wouldn't listen, he never really did….

Toothless let out a soft grunt and nuzzled against my side, causing me to laugh.

"Alright, alright, I'll try and sleep. Thanks buddy, I'm feeling better."

Warm breath ruffled my hair, Toothless laid his head down at the edge of my bed, eyes staring at me. Laughing softly, I laid back down, placing a hand on Toothless' head. Letting out a calming breath, I let myself relax as I fell asleep once again.

**~linebreak~**

I woke slowly, feeling very warm and safe, something draped over me gently. Opening my eyes, I saw a black leather wing tented over me, Toothless snoring softly behind me. I laughed as I pulled the wing back and sat up, extremely happy that I slept the rest of the night without another nightmare. Feeling my movements, Toothless was up in an instant, licking my cheek happily.

"Alright, I'm happy to see you too buddy." I laughed, pushing Toothless away gently. He let out a grunt as he kept over me, waiting eagerly beside my door. "Yeah, I know you're hungry, hang on."

I reached over and grabbed my prosthetic leg, putting it on, hissing as the cold metal touched my bare skin. "Ah, it's always freezing, hate mornings…."

I stood up shakily, slowly making my way to the door, Toothless on the ready. But I petted his head and made my way down the stairs, letting out a sigh of relief when I reached the bottom.

"Dad?" I called out to the emptiness, not surprised when I didn't receive a reply. My father, chief of the village, Stoick, had been leaving home very early recently, no doubt wording about the voyage at hand.

Sitting down at the table, I grabbed an apple from the center, Toothless raiding the ice box for cod. He swallowed two before resting at my feet, waiting for me to finish with my little breakfast. I rubbed the top of his head, barely nibbling the fruit in hand.

"Guess I"m not really that hungry…." I tossed the half eaten apple at Toothless, who snatched it up instantly. "Come on buddy, we need to go wash up, I think I'm growing something."

Toothless growled darkly at that, pupils turning to slits.

"Don't you dare-" I had barely taken a step toward him when Toothless knocked down the front door and raced away. "No, Toothless come back!"

I raced after him as best I could, apologizing to the disgruntled villagers that Toothless had bothered.

**~linebreak~**

Toothless let out a noise resembling a grumble as I emptied a bucket of water over him, washing the suds away.

"Buck up you big baby, we both needed this. I'll clean your gums after I'm done, alright?" His ears perked up in excitement and settled down as I scrubbed his back.

We were down at the washing creek, clean, clear water rushing past us, ice chunks sometimes floating by. Oddly enough, it was still warmer than the weather here. I was down to my undergarment, the rest of my clothes placed far away in a hope that they wouldn't get wet. Both Toothless and I were clean, a small fire burning next to us to provide some warmth as we dried off.

I settled myself on a smooth rock near the river and gestured Toothless closer, which he happily did, mouth open wide, showing me pink gums. Laughing softly, I cupped my hand with cold water and ran my hands of Toothless' gums gently, making sure I didn't miss a spot. He purred in happiness, eyes close as I continued on.

"Hiccup! Hiccup where are you!"

I paused having heard my dad's voice drifting thought the forest. "I'm over by the creek dad!"

Soon enough, the large figure of Stoic emerged from the forest, heading strait for us. "There you are, I panicked when I didn't see you at home."

"Sorry, but Toothless was getting a weird smell," I explained as said dragon gave me a disgruntled look, "No doubt I was smelling pretty bad as well. What's up dad?"

"Well, there's something we need to talk about."

I stiffened slightly at that tone in his voice, I don't think I was going to like the outcome of this talk.

"Ok, is something wrong?"

"No, but this is something important. You know about this new voyage, right?"

I laughed slightly, trying to calm myself. "Yeah dad, I'm aware of this. It's all you talk about."

"Right, well, Gobber and I have talked about this and…. We've decided that you should lead."

"I-I… what?" I swallowed hard, the horrible feeling washing over me again. "Dad, I… I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Hiccup, this is something you need, to help with your confidence. You will become the chief soon and you ned to learn how to deal with people. You're also the only person I trust to deal with the dragons when away from this island. This will help you."

"Dad, I can't do this, I mean, are you planning on going anywhere anytime soon? I mean, am I becoming Chief tomorrow?"

"No, but-"

"Then I can have the learning process later!"

Stoic stared at me, not easing my thumping heart at all. "Does this have anything to do with these 'dreams' of yours?"

"Dad, you don't understand, something bad is going to happen. It's like our land, this entire world is dying, and us leaving is just going to make it worse. I can feel it, please believe me."

"Hiccup, I don't want to hear this. You need to do this, not only for you, but for this village. Now, you're leaving within a week, so you better prepare."

I could only stare in disbelief as Stoic walk away, unable to think of any argument. The only one I had was a bad feeling and a nightmare, which even I admit was a weak fight.

I jumped when Toothless nuzzled my side, whining in worriment.

"I-It's ok buddy, I'm fine…."

**~linebreak~**

The hall was buzzing with people enjoying their last meal of the day, the main doors opted showing the night sky.

I picked pitifully at the leg on my plate, my meal cold, I could barely find my hunger to eat. Behind me, Toothless laid, giving me look of worry, whining softly.

"Hiccup!"

I weakly looked up as the other teens made their way over, all beaming.

"Heard something interesting about you today." Astrid said, sitting across from me.

"What did you hear?" I frowned, looking at the remaining group.

"That you're leading the voyage, that's so exciting!" Fishlegs exclaimed, practically bouncing in eagerness.

"W-Who told you?"

"Gobber." Tuff said simply.

"Never could keep his mouth shut." Ruff said, her twin nodding in agreement.

"Oh, yeah, guess he's not the best with keeping secrets. " I relied meekly, going back to my cold meal. The teens looked at each other in confusion.

"Hiccup, aren't you excited about this?" Astrid asked, "I mean, you're going on an adventure, seeing new lands, new people."

"It's such an honor to just go, let alone call the shots." Fishlegs said.

"If I was allowed to lead, I would take the chance happily." Snotlout said.

"Fine, you want it, take it!" I snapped, Toothless growling at Snotlout.

"Whoa, Hiccup, calm down." Astrid said, grabbing my hand tightly.

I calmed slightly, taking a deep breath, Toothless laying back down. "Sorry…."

"What's going on Hiccup?"

I gripped Astrid's hand tightly, looking hard at my plate. "I… I really can't say…."

"Come on, you can tell us." Ruff said, all nodding in agreement.

I pulled away from Astrid, wrapping my arms around my middle, not looking away from the table. I wanted to remove myself from this situation, but I knew they'd never let me go.

"I… I've had these horrible feelings, something's going to happen, something really bad. I keep having these… _nightmares_…. I'm surrounded by darkness and I can't breath, then I'm suddenly on this island of just ash. A tree is towering over me and this voice… these voices call out for my help, but I don't know what do to. I… I touch the tree and suddenly my arm turns to ash and falls away. I don't know what it means… but something's coming and it's already effecting us. It's not the dragons, it's not the lack of space, some higher power is trying to kill us, we're just withering away. If we leave, it'll get worse so much quicker."

No one said anything, the only noise coming from the remaining Vikings, enjoying their meal without being frightened. I didn't look up, I couldn't look up, because I knew they wet staring at me and I didn't want to meet their gazes.

"Hiccup, when was the last time you actually ate anything?" Astrid asked softly.

"…Days ago, I don't really eat anymore…." I replied, slightly put-off by the question.

Astrid stood and took my plate, gripping my shoulder gently. "I'll get you a new plate, and I'm sure Toothless would love some cod."

The small group disperser, Toothless purring happily waiting for the fish to arrive. I looked around once I knew I was alone, suddenly feeling exhausted from the conversation. Toothless placed his front claws on the bench and nuzzled against my side, causing me to laugh.

"H-Hey buddy." I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing close to get his warmth. I slowly began to feel like myself again, energy that I missed slowly coming back. "I always feel safe around you."

He merely purred gently and licked the side of my face, making me laugh again.

"Feeling better already?" Astrid smirked, placing a new plate of food in front of me, the others joining. Fishlegs tipped over a basket, fish spilling out, and Toothless ran over in an instant. I felt the warmth leave me quickly, everything feeling cold and harmful, and I curled in on myself slightly, wanting Toothless back. I could feel Astrid going me a quizzical look, but I didn't look, I just didn't want to look at any of them.

"Well, go on Hiccup, eat up." Astrid said, pushing the plate closer.

"I'm not hungry," I said simply, pushing it back again, "Not… really in the mood…."

"What, you were super happy a second ago, what happened?" Tuff argued.

I shrugged, just glaring at the table again. With an all knowing smirk Astrid stood again, grabbing the last cod before Toothless could reach it, and tossed it onto the table next to me. I was about to disagree, the smell was horrible, when Toothless charged at the fish and swallowed it, nuzzling against me once he was finished. I laughed, the strange warmth coming over me again, and my stomach rumbled loudly.

"Hungry now?" Astrid said, pushing my plate back.

"Actually I am." I said, grabbing my fork and beginning to eat. Tough meet never tasted to well.

"Guess you're only hungry, and for that matter, happy, when Toothless is close."

"Um, kind of, I just… feel safe with him close." I smiled as Toothless pressed his nose into my neck, letting out a puff of warm air.

"Geez Hiccup, paranoid much?" Snotlout joked, the teens laughing, and I joined in, feeling better than I had in a long time.

**~linebreak~**

"Night Hiccup!"

"Night."

"Hope no evil trees haunt your dreams!"

I laughed softly as we all went our separate ways , the sky dark blue with stars dotting it. Toothless traveled right be my side, my hand resting comfortable on his head.

"What do you think buddy, am I really just paranoid?" Toothless whined softly and pressed closer, green eyes just staring back. "I'll just take that as a maybe…."

I came to a sudden stop when Toothless let out a deep, dangerous growl, pupils turning to slits as he stalked forward to the forest edge.

"Toothless, buddy, what's wrong?" I took a step forward before Toothless turned to face me again, pushing me away from the forest and frantically to my home. He practically threw me inside and only calmed when the front door was closed and locked. "What was that all about?"

He whined in what I guess was panic and placed his head on my lap, eyes closing in relief. I petted the top of his head, trying to calm him down, but I was only panicking more now.

What had Toothless sensed?

**~linebreak~**

Two wolfs sat near the forest edge, looking at the chief's hut before turning to each other.

**"He was right, the human's leaving in a week."**One said, voice deep and sinister.

_"We should report back, no doubt we'll be told how to handle this 'problem'." _The other spoke, voice calm and poisonously smooth.

_"_**Who knew a meat stick could cause such damage." **The first spoke, smirking, showing blood stained fangs. **"Think we'll be able to eat him?"**

_"Always with your stomach, use that brain first! Now come, we need to report." _

Both disappeared in a gust of wind, the village falling silent again.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, here's chapter two! This is sort of in the realm of a filler chapter, but I think I did pretty well. XD Hopefully chapter 3 will be up quicker!

Disclaimer- I do not own HTTYD books or movie, I'm just borrowing the idea to create my own fun.

* * *

The sun rose slowly over the horizon, birds chirping happily as they flew through the multi-colored sky. Scents of a big breakfast wafted up through the cracks in the flooring, Gobber's voice ringing out as well.

But I barely paid attention to any of it, my eyes glued to the ceiling. Today I was leaving, saying farewell to my homeland for who knew how long, facing something dark in a foreign land. My dreams had become worse; the light never came and I just died in darkness, the tree begged for help, a shadow haunting me.

I jumped when something wet racked across my cheek. I looked over to find Toothless, tongue poking out slightly.

"H-Hey… did you sleep well?" I winced at how weak my voice sounded. I received another lick to my cheek before he nuzzled against me. "Better go downstairs, no doubt dad would like to congratulate us… or something…."

I placed my leg back on, feeling very sluggish as I finished dressed. I had almost no energy, everything was moving slowly, even having Toothless close didn't help. We headed downstairs slowly, greeted by Gobber, my father, and a huge spread on the table.

"Good morning Hiccup." Stoic said, ruffling my hair.

"H-Hey dad." I replied weakly, sitting down and grabbing a hunk of bread and cheese.

"Better be eating more than that Hiccup," Gobber advised as he drained his mug, "We have a big day ahead of us, lot of ocean to cover. You'll need that energy to stay awake."

I didn't reply, content to staring at the table, taking small bites.

"Nervous are we?" Stoic laughed, "I was too my first voyage out, but it will add to the adrenaline soon enough."

"When do we leave?" I asked weakly.

"Soon, you need to get the elders' blessing, then you will depart-"

"I don't want to go!" Gobber and Stoic froze at my outburst as I was gripping my head in pain, "Please, please just listen to me. Something is going to happen and-"

"Enough Hiccup!" Stoic shouted, "The plans have been made and the decision is final!"

"But dad-"

"I don't want your excuses!" Stoic sighed, sitting next to me. "Don't create reasons for the fears you might have. Nothing bad is going to happen, trust me."

I couldn't look at him in the eyes, I only nodded in defeat again. Giving me a comforting shake, Stoic stood, Gobber looking between us nervously.

"Alright Hiccup, lets go see Gothi."

"Right…."

The walk was slow and painful, all the time feeling like I was about to give my life away as I trudged behind my father. We arrived to Gothi's home and I hesitated, staring at the large oak door.

"Go on son, she's waiting for you." Stoic pushed me forward gently.

Swallowing, I knocked no the door gently, waiting for a reply. It opened slowly, Gothi poking her head out before allowing me to enter. I nodded in compliance and entered, getting hit by a wave of powerful incense. She gestured to a pillow placed before a small fire burning in the middle of her hut. I kneeled down and watched her work. Grabbing a small jar off a shelf, she walked over to me, silently telling me to bow my head. I did so, eyes closing, hoping I didn't fall asleep during this.

She started mummbling, smearing something thick and sticky on my forehead and cheeks. Sensing her leave, I straitened out, eyes focusing on the fire. Gothi took her place across from me, tossing a few herbs into the fire and watched them burn. My eyes stared feeling very heavy and before I could stop, they closed.

Deep red eyes suddenly flashed before me, a row of sharp teeth forming a crooked smile.

_"There you are…."_

My eyes snapped back open, heart hammering in fear. The small fire suddenly blazed up, causing Gothi and I to jump away. A cold, cruel laugh echoed though the small hut, Gothi looking around in fear while I cupped my hands over my ears, trying to block the sound.

_"Come, little one, we have much to discuss."_

The fire burnt out quickly, leaving the hut dark and calm, embers burning. Lighting a candle, Gothi gathered my up quickly and pulled me towards the back of her hut. She stopped, finger pointed frantically point to a warn drawing of a large and rather grand tree, looking at me expectantly.

"I- what? What does a tree have to do with anything!" She jabbed her finger near the bottom of the parchment. Frowning, I leaned forward and read: "…Yggdrasil…. The World Tree, from our lore?"

She nodded before pointing at me, while I just stood there in complete confusion. Reaching forward, Gothi gently placed her hand over my eyes, blocking everything from my view.

"…I don't understand…."

Then I heard it, very faint, but it was there.

_Help… us…._

"The tree! F-From my dream!" I stepped back, startled. I looked at Gothi in shock before I turned back to the hanging parchment. "It's… Yggdrasil… but why is it appearing in my dreams? What does it want, why is it dying? Does it actually exist, what's happening?"

Gothi merely shook her head and pointed towards the closed window. Walking over, I opened it revealing the vast ocean before me. But I wasn't really focusing on it, questions still buzzing through my head.

"How can it be dying…. Doesn't Yggdrasil connect all the worlds together? If it dies, what will happen? Will we all just disappear? You know, you have to know, why else would you show me? You can tell me what's happening, you know something's going on, you have to tell me! You can explain to my dad, tell him, make him change his mind! I can't leave!"

I fell silent when Gothi covered my mouth, shaking her head, looking at me with apologetic eyes. She pointed back to the ocean, calling my attention back to it.

"…I order to find my answers, I have to leave…." I answered slowly, dread washing over me. She only nodded in reply, griping my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me.

~**linebreak**~

I lead Toothless to the front of the group, watching as the rest secured their supplies onto their dragons. My stomach churned, remembering my meeting with Gothi, wondering why she wouldn't tell my father, tell _me_ what was happening. She knew what was going on, she knew I was in trouble, she knew the world was slowly fading away, yet she was doing nothing about it! Why?! This was important, we were all in danger, why could she share what was so important!

"Hiccup!" Astrid called out, heading towards me as the other teens followed. I instantly pulled her close and buried into her, trying to find some comfort in her warmth. She wrapped her arms around me gently, smiling. "It's going to be alright…."

"Gothi knows something's going to happen," I said, "Go talk to her, bring the others, please, see if you can't find anything."

Astrid stared at me in surprise. "She… She said…."

"Please, I need to know that this place is being protected and you're the only person I trust."

"I'll try." she said, brushing my bangs back gently.

I jumped slightly as a large hand was placed on my shoulder, looking up at Stoic.

"You ready Hiccup?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be…." I finished my trek to the front, my father and Toothless following close by, Gobber was waiting for us with his dragon. Stoic stopped short, bending down slightly as he gripped my shoulder gently.

"This is a very important moment… and I couldn't be more proud of you."

"T-Thanks dad…." He pulled me close; I smiled in comfort, feeling like I was five again. He pulled away and I took my place next to Gobber as we mounted our dragons. Making sure everything was held in place, I looked up at Gobber, who looked back expectingly.

"Um, ready?"

"That's up to you, you're leading. Take off whenever you're ready."

I needed, taking another look around at the village, knowing I wasn't going to be back for a long time. My eyes connected with Astrid, who smiled softly and gave a confident nod.

"Alright buddy, lets go."

Toothless gave a rumbled of agreement before taking off, Gobber and the other following. The village let out cheers and cries of amazement and encouragement as the skies filled with dragons. The sound began to fall silent as we flew higher into the sky, the wind soon replacing the sounds. I looked back at the ever shrinking island before the clouds stared to gather and Berk was gone.

~**linebreak**~

There was one other time that I had seen Hiccup that scared, and that was when he thought he's never see Toothless or his father again. He was terrified about something and if Gothi was worried…. I looked at the large crowd of dragons and vikings in front of us, waiting for Hiccup's orders to take off into the skies. But he was looking around, face telling me that he was trying to find some comfort before he left. His eyes landed on me; I smiled and gave a quick nod, letting him know I would handle everything here.

He smiled softly before he patted Toothless' side and they took off, the rest taking off after him. Those staying behind cheered them on until they disappeared into the clouds.

"Can't believe they're gone…." Fishlegs said behind me, sounding worried.

"Don't worry Fishlegs," Stoic said calmly, "With Hiccup and Toothless leading them, they'll return unharmed."

"We know they will, we're all just a little worried." I commented at the villagers started to leave.

"As am I… if you would excuse me…." I watched as Stoic walked off, heading for his now empty hut.

"It feels so weird knowing Hiccup and Toothless aren't here," Tuff said, "What do we do now?"

"I'm going to talk to Gothi." I said simply, turning towards the elder's house.

"Why?" Snotlout asked, the group following me as I trekked my way up.

"Hiccup told me to talk to her about what's happening, even she thinks that something's wrong."

"So they both ate something bad, big deal."

"It's more than that! I've been worried about Hiccup since was talked to him about his dreams and now Gothi thinks something's going to happen. I need to understand, we all do, for Hiccup's sake…."

We arrived soon and I knocked softly on the door, hoping she wasn't doing anything to important. I was relieved when the door opened, Gothi peering at me with curiosity.

"I- we, need to talk to you about something…." Gothi huffed and started to shut the door. "No, wait, Hiccup told us to come talk to you! Please, we want to help."

She paused, the door barely open. With a silent sigh, she opened the door further and allowed us to enter.

"Thank you." I bowed low and entered, the others following. We took a seat around the small fire, nervous as Gothi fully closed the door and walked further into her house. "I don't mean to be pushy, but I'm worried-"

She placed a hand over my mouth before walking past, already knowing my panic. We watched with slightly curiosity as she plucked Fishlegs up and dragged him over to a pile of fallen ash. She began to write, finishing with a point to it for Fishlegs to read.

"Um… She says that she admires our dedication, but this doesn't involve us."

"Glad we walked all the way up to just get rejected." Snotlout muttered to himself.

"This does involve us, Hiccup is our friend and he's asked us to help. If he is in danger, we should have a right to know what is happening." Gothi faltered slightly at that, picking up her stick and writing again.

"Ok, now she's saying that we can ask her again, but we have to wait until tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow, why?" I stood, panicking. Fishlegs read the next line, frowning.

"She said… that everything's not in place yet…."

"What does that mean?" Tuff asked, confused as the rest of us.

"I don't know," Fishlegs stepped back as Gothi headed for her door. She opened the door and looked at us expectingly. "And I'm guessing she wants us to leave."

"Fine… But we will be back tomorrow night." I said, leading the way out. As I passed, she patted my shoulder, giving me a look of apology. "I'm just worried…."

**~linebreak~**

"You call that a fire, come on, we have dragons! Build that thing up! Where are those hunters, they were suppose to be back hours ago! We don't need tents, it's not going to rain, take those down!"

I laughed softly as I watched Gobber shout orders, turning to Toothless. "Glad to see him yelling at someone other than me."

Toothless purred in agreement, watching the slight mayhem with glee. We had landed on the nearest island, something that would normally take at least three days to reach, under twelve hours. Setting up camp began as soon as we landed, having to clear away a portion of the surrounding forest to have a level ground to rest on. Now, as night slowly began to fall, I was resting against Toothless while Gobber watched over everything being set up.

Writing a note in my sketchbook, I looked up hearing Gobber walk over, letting out a sigh of exhaustion.

"Need me to take over?" I offered, placing my book down and standing.

"Naw, I just forgot how tiring this is. Still doing alright?"

"I'm feeling better, more so then I did back on Berk."

"Glad to hear it," Gobber said ruffling my hair, "Now, we should-"

A long deep wolf call broke through the camp, all falling silent at the morbid sound. Another joined soon, the air becoming colder, everyone looking at that surrounding forest.

"Wolves?" I looked at Gobber.

"There aren't suppose to be any here…. We've never found any on our previous visits." Gobber said, frowning deeply. I jumped when Toothless stood with a loud roar, blocking me from the forest.

"Bud, what are you doing?" I frowned as Toothless circled around me, pupils reduced to small slits. "T-Toothless…." I turned towards the camps, hearing the other dragons starting to act strange, glaring and growling at the forest as well. Their riders stood at their sides in an attempt to calm them down.

"Hiccup, what's happening?" Gobber asked.

"I don't know, they're spooked about something," I winced as the wolves became louder, "What is happening!?"

And suddenly, it stopped, all falling quiet. Toothless turned to me, looking very worried, nuzzling against me. "What was that all about?"

"You think we were about to be attacked with the way they were acting." Gobber said rubbing under his chin. We both jumped when a twig snapped, relaxing when the hunting party emerged, carrying three boars.

"We're back," the parties leader paused seeing everyone still, "What did we miss? Someone see a ghost?"

"Where have you been!" Gobber barked.

"Hunting, were else?"

"Did you happen to see any wolves when you came back?" I asked.

"What, no, there are no wolves here. What have you been eating boy?"

"He's not joking, we just heard them," Gobber intervened, "So did you see any or not." The party shook their heads, Gobber sigh in frustration. "Alright, just get those boars outer the fire, I'm starving."

I watched as they set everything up, very confused. Bending down, I rubbed under Toothless' chin. "What we heard… was that what you sensed back in Berk?" Toothless nodded, whining softly. He pressed his head against my chest.

We all ate quickly and quietly, my mind was racing with questions as I picked at my food. Something was following us, but who and what for? I snapped back to reality when Gobber sat next to me, carrying maps and opening a few.

"Right, we need a plan…. Do we know of any other islands near by?" I asked, grabbing an open map and looking it over.

"From what information we've gotten from Trader Johan, we have two options. One's towards the east, about a day flight, the others continuing south."

"How far away is that one?"

"About a day and half."

I sighed, thinking. "If we head east first…. That'll add on…."

"Another half day to reach the south."

"A two day flight, I don't know if the dragons could handle it. Especially after another day long flight. They would need to rest awhile."

"The east island is rather large, unknown to us. We could explore while the dragons rest." Gobber suggested.

"That could work…." I looked back at Toothless, " Think you could fly two days strait?" He gave a nod, showing his gummy smile. "Alright, we head east, gather as much information as we can and let them rest. Then we head south."

"Excellent idea…." I jumped when Gobber ruffled my hair.

"W-What was that for?" I asked

"You're father's proud of what you're doing Hiccup."

I looked down, feeling my face heat up. "I know…."

"We should turn in, get an early start in the morning."

"Right…." Gobber gave a nod and stood, shouting the order to turn in for the night. Yawning widely, I pulled my sheet out from my pack, wrapping it around me tightly. Toothless nuzzled me to lay down, my head resting on his front leg, a wing tenting over me. "Thanks bud…."

I yawed once more before I drifted off.

**~linebreak~**

_**"Help us…."**_

_My eyes snapped open, the dying tree towering over me. Standing up cautiously, I looked up, frowning as the ashes fell away rapidly. _

_"What do you need me to do? I can't help if you don't explain to me what I need to do." _

_**"Find… us…."**_

_"But where are you!" I let out a frustrated cry, "Please, I know something is happening and that you are the World Tree. But I don't know what I'm suppose to do to help you…." _

_"Nothing, little seed, you don't need to find this place…." I gasped in pain a sheer cold washed over me, eyes covered by shadows. Burning red eyes piercing me, causing me to freeze in fear. _

_"I'll… find… you…."_

**~linebreak~**

"Hiccup!"

I let out a gasp as I was pulled out of my dream, trembling and breathing hard. Gobber and Toothless were looking at me, both worried, the sound of the other villagers murmuring behind them.

"G-Gobber?" I winced, feeling absolutely sick to my stomach. "What happened?"

"You stopped breathing…. How are you feeling?"

"Horrible…." I sat up slowly, Toothless helped prop me up. I let out a soft moan, stomach churning painfully.

"Take it easy Hiccup, don't push yourself." Gobber placed a hand on my back, easing my up to stand strait. "Alright everyone, show's over, start packing up! We leave as soon as we can!"

Once the crowd dispersed, Gobber face me again, frowning deeply. "You had a 'dream' again, didn't you."

I didn't look up, closing my eyes, trying to stop the world from spinning. "Y-Yeah…."

"Think you'll be able to fly? You look a little green."

"Y-Yeah… lets just see if I can keep anything down." I accepted a small bit of bread, eating slowly as Gobber packed our stuff away. "What do I need to do today?"

"Just focus on flying and not falling to your death. I'll lead, you just follow," he gripped my shoulder tightly, "You're going to be ok Hiccup."

"I know Gobber, thanks…." I smiled weakly.

We mounted our dragons soon, taking to the skies and heading east for our next destination. Taking deep breaths, I smiled weakly, feeling slightly better as we passed over the vast waters. Looking up at the skies, I frowned watching the clouds above us created two perfect line, each keeping up with us.

"Hey Gobber, do you have any idea what that is?" I pointed up to the strange formations, Gobber frowning as well.

"Don't know… think they're being created by us?"

"We're to far down for us to be…." I let out a yell of surprise when Toothless suddenly dove down, skimming over the oceans surface.

"Hiccup, what are you doing!?" Gobber shouted.

"It's not me, it's Toothless! Keep everyone up there, stay in formation!" Gobber nodded and flew back up to relay the orders. I patted Toothless' neck to get his attention. "You almost made me lose my breakfast bud, what's wrong?"

He looked up at the sky before facing forward again, looking determined.

"Alright, don't answer me." I frowned, focusing on the remaining trip. Hours passed before the island appeared on the horizon; I let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally, we're almost there buddy and you can sleep all you want." I laughed as I felt a small rumbling underneath me, knowing Toothless was purring. "We're so close-"

I winced when I felt something quickly pass me, landing in the water hard. Toothless let out a whine of panic and picked up speed, looking around frantically.

"W-What the heck was-" I let out a cry of surprise as it happened again, "Toothless, we need to get back to the others!" We shot up instantly, spooking Gobber when we stopped next to him.

"Hiccup?"

"Something attacked us, I think, I-I couldn't see what thought."

"Probably a fish, nothing more."

"An invisible fish?"

"…It could happened…."

I shook my head, looking down to find the sea replaced by a dense forest. "Guess I won't have to worry about fish…."

Something swiped at my face, blood pouring from my left cheek, mind swimming in pain. I heard Gobber shout my name, but i was gone, blackness slowly swallowing me as I felt myself slip from the saddle. Toothless roared in fear, trying to turn in my direction, but kept falling forward. Gobber and the remaining villagers attempted to catch me, but something kept hindering their progress, the dragons getting scared.

The sky soon disappeared as the forest below surrounded me, everything becoming a blur of green and brown. I winced as I hit a branch, sliding off it and continuing towards the ground. My head collided with a thick root, I passed out, and fell limp.

**~linebreak~**

Hiccup moaned softly, left cheek bleeding from deep scratches, forehead bruised and bleeding from the hit. Two wolves emerged from the foliage, eyes narrowing onto the fallen teen.

_"You just had to attack him, didn't you."_

**"We had to get him away from that beast and it worked. Stop complaining."**

_"Clean him up. If we bring him like that, it'll be our heads."_

**"…Can I let it fester first? It tastes so much better that way." **

_"Now Skoll!' _

Letting out a growl of annoyance, one walked forward, tongue running over the damaged areas. Squirming slightly, Hiccup winced as the wounds healed, leaving only the dried blood on his skin.

**"His blood is sweet, very delicious…."**

_"You're not eating him! Bigger things are planned for him…." _


	3. Chapter 3

And after a bit of a break, I'm back with Chapter 3! This is a shorter chapter than #2, but I have this story planned out to what I want to hit in each chapter, so please don't hate.

This chapter holds so interesting information and I've worked on this a lot, so please enjoy reading!

~**linebreak**~

(Toothless' POV)

I woke with a small whine, my head pounding from the rough landing that I received from the night before.

_"Ugh, what happened? Hiccup are you-"_

Fear washed over me when I found myself alone, Hiccup no where to be seen or smelt. Memory came back of the attack and Hiccup falling off, blood running down his face as he disappeared into the forest. Now he was lost in there and those… things were after him!

_"I saw him fall, he couldn't be that far away!"_ I attempted to reason calmly with myself as I took off into the forest, trying to pick up some sense of Hiccup. _"He couldn't be that far away, he can't be…."_

I perked up when I caught a weak sent of a human. I couldn't really tell if it was Hiccup, but I rushed forward, breaking through the foliage. Jumping into a clearing, Gobber stumbled back in shock.

"Toothless, there you are!" Gobber exclaimed happily, looking behind me expectingly. I knew he was waiting for Hiccup to appear as well, my ears drooping when his smile fell away. "Where's Hiccup…."

_"I don't know…."_ I whined, my head hanging.

~**linebreak**~

(Hiccup's POV)

I moaned weakly as I regained consciousness, head pounding, body sore from being stuck in an strange position all night. Opening my eyes slowly, I was confused seeing the sun poke through the thick foliage. Night was rising last I remembered… how long was I out?

_"I wouldn't move if I were you mortal."_

I jerked away when two wolves popped out of nowhere, both glaring. Shaking my head, then regretted it as the pain worsened, I looked around attempting to find someone close by. I mean, who else could have talked?

"H-How hard did I hit my head?" I moaned softly, rubbing my head, believing that I had begun to hear things.

**"Hard human."**

I stared, as neither had opened their mouths to speak, but I could hear someone talking to me.

"Are you… is it possible?'

_"Very possible."_

While my mind attempted to come to the realization that, indeed, wolves were talking to me somehow, I studied them closer. The wolf standing to the right was gray in color, fur ruffled as if it had just finished a fight. It's paws and muzzle were covered with something a deep red, some of the liquid dripping off, eyes holding the same red color. The other was pure black, fur sleek, laying perfectly with it's form. Sickly yellow eyes bore into me, appearing to judge me.

"Are you two… really talking?" I asked nervously.

_"Indeed we are," _the black bowed it's head, _"I am Hati, my counterpart here is Skoll."_

"The physical forms of human hatred and repulsion." I whispered, mind somewhere between awe and fear. "This can't be happening…."

**"Well it is, so I suggest you get out of your little daze quickly," **the gray named Skoll growled, **"He's already missing a leg, I'm sure an arm won't hurt-"**

_"You're not eating him!" _Hati growled to his counterpart.

"Eat me, w-why are you going to eat me? What's going on!?" I demanded, looking between the two.

Hati shook his head before looking back at me. _"We have been sent by our master to retrieve you. He wishes to discuss something… delicate that apparently you are involved it…." _

"Who… is your master?"

_"Odin."_

I laughed weakly in disbelief. "W-What, Odin, the ruler of all the Gods, wants to see me? What for, what could he possible-" I paused, my dreams coming into my mind. "Does this… have anything to do with the World Tree dying?"

Both wolves looked at each other, looking worried.

**"How do you know about Yggdrasil." **Skoll demanded, growling darkly.

"I keep having these dreams, it asked for my help. But I don't know what to do…. Do you think Odin-"

_"We can't think freely for our master, but if you come, he'd be more than willing to listen." _Hati said.

I frowned, thinking. This was getting a little be out of hand, now the Gods themselves were getting involved. Well, I guess it make sense as it is their job to protect us and the remaining worlds. But how much could I trust this, I'm going in this alone with no way to escape if things turned bad.

"I will go…. But only if Toothless comes with us. Otherwise, I'm not going."

**"A dragon, those demons, are not allowed near our master." **Skoll barked.

"I'm not going anywhere without Toothless."

**"I do not take orders from mortals! Hati, take and arm, we're dragging him there!" **Skoll stepped forward, teeth bared. Hati quickly jumped in front of Skoll, teeth showing as well.

_"We are not allowed to harm him! Odin will have our heads if we bring him in with shredded arms!"_

"And I'm not going with you if Toothless isn't with me." I crossed my arm, leaning against the root to get comfortable. "Guess we're not going anywhere any time soon."

Hati growled darkly, but didn't move. _"If your dragon is allowed to come…."_

"I'll follow, without argument."

_"…Very well. Skoll will keep an eye on you, I will go find your dragon."_

~**linebreak**~

(Toothless POV)

I whined softly as I watched the search parties returned empty handed, Gobber looking lost as well.

"It's alright Toothless, we'll fine him." Gobber said, petting my head gently. "It's not that big of an island and he's smart enough to know to stay put until we find him."

_"I hope so"_ I said, which he only heard as a rumble.

"Want some fish, bet your hungry." He offered, but I turned away, eyes closing. I heard Gobber sigh in defeat. "Alright, try and cheer up Toothless. Try to cheer up a little, I know we'll find him."

I didn't reply, I didn't have the energy. He didn't understand, none of them did, Hiccup was in danger. If I didn't find him before they did-

I sat up, letting out a deep growl. They did this, they separated me from Hiccup. When I find those miserable hairballs, they'll be sorry….

My ears twitched to attention, hearing something running towards the camp at a great speed. Jumping up, I growled darkly at the approaching form, getting Gobber's attention.

"What is it Toothless?" He stood next to me, peering into the foliage. A sleek black wolf emerged, landing before me, yellow eyes narrowing.

_"Hati."_ I growled darkly, Gobber stepping back slightly.

_"Toothless, I presume." _Hati replied cooly.

"Calm down, it's just a wolf Toothless." Gobber said, trying to calm me down.

_"Rather dense human." _Hati laughed softly.

_"If he can't hear you speak, then he won't know any better." _I argued.

_"Your human can hear me just fine."_

_"You have Hiccup…. Where is he!" _I roared, _"I should tear you apart for what you did!"_

_"How would you find him then? Magic makes an amazing barrier." _

_"Which will go away if I kill you!"_

_"Doubtful, if Skoll is still with him." _

_"You left Hiccup alone with that blood-thirsty idiot!"_

_"He won't be harmed, we've made an agreement." _

_"…What sort of agreement…."_

_"He has agreed for us to take him to see Odin, but only if you come."_

_"What does Odin want with Hiccup." _

_"I'm not allowed to share. This is a matter between the human and my master." _

I glared at Hati. _"Hiccup has nothing to do with the World Tree." _

_"And yet the tree has been visiting him in his sleep." _

I growled darkly; Hiccup, why did you tell them. _"Is Odin going to help him, these dreams… they're hurting him, I know they are." _

_"I'm unable to know what my master will do," _Hati answered, _"Now, would you like to see your human?"_

_"…Lead the way." _

We both ran off into the bushes, Gobber shouting my name as we disappeared into the foliage. I kept up with Skoll, letting him stay a little ahead to lead as we tore through the foliage.

**"Don't even think about running human."**

"I wouldn't really be able to get that far."

My heart hammered hearing Hiccup strait ahead, his scent becoming clear to me. Racing ahead, I broke through a wall of bushes and entered a small clearing, eyes landing on Hiccup instantly.

"Toothless!" He called out, standing, smile breaking across his face. I didn't answer, I didn't see the need to. Tackling him back to the ground, I nuzzled against his chest, purring happily. "I'm glad to see you too bud." He laughed softly.

_"Now that you are reunited with your dragon, shall we go Hiccup." _Hati asked, sitting next to Skoll. Hiccup calmed instantly, smiling fading, looking away from me.

"Yeah…."

_"Don't push him," _I growled darkly, _"When he's ready, then we'll go."_

**"Time is of the essence dragon," **Skoll growled, **"Our master won't wait long." **

"They're right Toothless," Hiccup laughed weakly, "Wouldn't want to keep the Lord of all Gods waiting."

I let out a whine of worry as Hiccup climbed onto my back; I heard his leg click into place.

"It's going to be ok buddy," he patted my head to comfort me, "Alright, I'm ready."

_"Very well." _Hati nodded.

**"Try and keep up dragon."**Skoll mocked.

~**linebreak**~

(Hiccup's POV)

I hear Toothless growl at Skoll's taunt before taking off, the two wolves following. I jumped when Hati appeared next to me, nothing more than a wolves head, the rest of his form a blur.

_"Why is your leg missing Hiccup?" _He asked.

"Oh um…. I battled against the Red Death with Toothless and we won. But I lost my leg in the process."

_"And you can control Toothless, as he flies anyway." _

"Um, yeah. See, I kind of knocked Toothless out of the air, damaging his tail fin. So I built the saddle and everything so I could help him fly again."

_"But only if you are with him?" _

"Well, I did build him a tail fin where he could fly alone. But he didn't really like the idea."

_"I see…." _

Before I could ask him why he wanted to know, Hati shot up and took his place right next to Skoll. The land and the sea below had disappeared, the colds surrounding us completely now.

"So… where are we going?" I asked.

_"We're almost there Hiccup, don't worry." _Hati replied.

"We're meeting them in the sky?"

**"Yes mortal, we are," **Skoll snapped, **"Now quiet down, we're here." **

I looked around, see in nothing but white clouds. My stomach churning as Toothless dove down, landing on one of the many clouds.

"H-How are we doing this?" I gripped the saddle tightly as we moved forward, "Where are we going?"

_"It's alright, we're heading inside." _Hati said. The next instant, he and Skoll diapered into the sky. I gasped softly as a veil washed over Toothless and I, the vast sky being replace by a long stone hallway.

"What…. Where are we?"

_"A small meeting area. Just follow us, they're waiting." _Hati replied, he and Skoll walking through the hallway.

Toothless followed, I could tell he was glaring at the wolves in front of us. The hallway suddenly opened up, a large room surrounding us, torches the only source of light. Before us stood a large platform, four people placed atop, staring down at us. Sitting on a large throne, a grizzle looking man glared down at me with one eye, the other hidden by a leather patch. He had black hair and beard, wearing a robes of blue and silver.

To his right stood a woman with red hair, green eyes, and pale skin, looking at me with concern. She was dressed with what appeared to be thin sheets of gold draped over her carefully, golden flowers placed in her hair.

To the opposite side stood two men, both looking about the same age of each other. One held short blonde hair, gray eyes, wearing robes of pure red, golden armor placed over them; he was looking at me with curiosity. The other also held gray eyes, but more cold then the other, black hair, and had robes of green and gold covering him, his face holding one of deepest digest as he looked at me.

I began to shake as the man from he throne stood, a long spear suddenly appearing in his hand.

_"We have brought the one named Hiccup master." _Hati and Skoll bowed low.

"You two have done well." the man spoke, voice deep and rich. "Please stand to the side." They did as they were told as he defended the stars, eyes narrowing onto me.

"Hiccup, please dismount, you have nothing to fear here." I did as I was told, keeping a hand on Toothless, looking at each person nervously. "Do you know who I am."

"…Odin." I answered weakly, eyes traveling to the woman. "And… you're Frigg…."

She smiled softly. "What a bright child…."

I faced the other two. "You're Thor," the blonde nodded, "and… Loki." The other sneered, but I just assumed that was a yes.

"Child, do you know why you are here." Odin spoke again.

"It's about Yggdrasil, right?"

"Indeed it is."

"You're going to help me find it?"

"Why would we show it to you mortal." Loki demanded.

"Because it keeps asking for my help, to heal it somehow. But I don't know where it is."

"It visits you?" Frigg asked, "How?"

"In my dreams. I've been having them for months now and they've been getting worse."

"Why would it come to you for help?" Thor asked.

"I don't know, I was hoping maybe you… could tell me."

"We have no answers…." Odin replied.

"My dear, don't think negative," Frigg spoke quickly, "The tree has gone to him, not the other way. He couldn't be responsible-"

"He rides a dragon, a Night Fury no less!" Loki interrupted, "His past speaks louder than his feeble attempt at innocents."

I stepped back slightly, Toothless blocking me from the Gods. Odin watched this in silence before his attention landed on my prosthetic leg.

"You lost your leg…."

"Battling against the Red Death…." I finished.

"Why would you do that."

"It was threatening my village and my friend."

"Friend?"

"Toothless."

"This is absurd! Father, don't listen to him!" Loki stormed down the steps, stopping next to Odin. "He's a mortal and what do they want the most? Power! He has control over a dragon, he's defeated a monster that even plagued us! Now he's destroying Yggdrasil! Why, for power! To overthrow you and become a God!"

"What, no!" I panicked, "I want to help, I want the dreams to stop!"

"A simple excuse, a pled, nothing more than a cover up."

"Enough!" Odin demanded, striking his staff down. The room filled with silence, the only thing I could hear was the furious beating of my heart. "Hiccup… what are you trying to accomplish."

"N-Nothing, I just want to help. I don't understand what's happening…."

"He lies." Loki hissed.

"I'm not lying! Please, I'm not tying to do anything wrong, I don't even know what's really happening! Yggdrasil keeps coming to me for help and I don't know what to do!"

"As soon as the Red Death fell, Yggdrasil quickly began to die. Something you were responsible for."

"Toothless helped me! I was trying to help my village and my friend, that's all!"

"Why is it that your dragon can't fly without you?" Loki sneered, "Like having that control over him?"

"No! I made him a tail fin so he could fly on his own, but he rejected it!"

"Excuses father, must have trained that dragon to think he needed the mortal, this is all he has."

"I'm not… I'm not doing anything wrong…. I just want to help!"

"I cannot allow that Hiccup," Odin said, "I must stop this before Yggdrasil falls into a worse state. Whether it's intentional or not, you've started theses chains of events."

"Father," Thor spoke cautiously, "what are you saying."

"In order for Yggdrasil to thrive again, I must end Hiccup's life."

My heart plummeted when I heard Odin's verdict, Toothless growling darkly.

"Father no!"

"There must be another way!" Thor and Frigg attempted to come to my defense, but were kept at bay by Hati and Skoll.

"I wouldn't fight this if I were you mortal," Loki advised, "It'll make it easier for everyone."

Odin had barely taken a step forward when Toothless fired, causing Odin to step away. Taking this chance, I mounted onto Toothless, taking off quickly down the stoned hallway. I winced as something cut into my right arm and landing into the wall in front of me, blood pouring out from the cut and dripping from Odin's spear. Reaching the exit, Toothless took to the skies, diving down to the lands below as quick as he could to find a place to hide. Looking back, I let out a sigh of relief finding no one following us.

An island quickly came into view, but I panicked seeing it was not the one we had left.

"Where are we…."

Spotting a small cave, Toothless landed and rushed inside, growling darkly back on the sky above. I dismounted, hissing slightly as I applied pressure to my right arm. I placed a hand over the cut, blood continuing to flow freely. I dressed it quickly, thankful that I hadn't lost my pack and supplies in all of this.

"Could this day get any weirder?" I laughed weakly, trying to make myself feel better. Toothless whined softly, laying next to me, looking up with concern. I sighed and laid my head on his, feeling absolutely lost. "What do we do Toothless…. We're lost, separated from Gobber, and being hunted by Odin."

I stood, pacing, Toothless watching me in worry.

"So I was right, leaving Berk did make everything worse…. But if I had stayed, would they have come for me anyway? I would have put the whole village in danger then. Gothi did say I had to leave, it's almost like I didn't have a choice. But she said I would find answers to everything. And all I've found out is that the people who could have possible helped me think I'm the problem." I gripped my forehead in frustration, thinking hard. "Odin said the World Tree started dying after Red Death was killed. But that's not a bad thing, so why would doing anything negative harm anything. And if it's true, how am I suppose to know!"

I was called back to my senses when Toothless let out a roar, glaring at me, silently telling me to calm down.

"I know, I know, freaking out won't help anything." I replied, looking out at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, some stars starting to come out. "I really wish I was home right now."

~**linebreak**~

(Normal POV)

"You missed, how did you miss, you never miss!" Loki growled as Odin pulled his spear out from the wall.

"I wasn't aiming to kill…."

"Father, don't tell me you've gone soft."

"Of course not!" Odin defended, "But there's something about that boy, you must have felt it…. Something's different… I couldn't bring myself to end him."

"He's not to be trusted father, please believe. Next time we find him, we must end him and his beast."

"Yes, we must do something…."

"The end of one life, a small but is nothing if it means keeping the rest alive." Loki spoke calmly.

"But is this person you blame really the reason behind Yggdrasil's slow death?" Thor asked, intervening.

"What do you mean, it has to be him! That little mortal has broken a Night Fury! A monster like that under his control shows how dangerous he is!"

"He said the dragon was his friend, nothing more, no master and servant. If the dragon wasn't a friend, it would have no problem leaving the boy behind to be killed, it would be free. But as soon as the boy was threatened, the dragon defended him. That shows how kind-hearted this boy is if a dangerous beast is more than welling to protect him."

"Odin, you mustn't listen to Thor, he clearly doesn't see the danger-"

"There is not danger, that boy is innocent!"

"His involvement with the downfall of the Red Death is what triggered Yggdrasil's fall and he planned it!"

"No mortal could know that event coexisted, if they even do! We couldn't bring the downfall of that great beast, we should be grateful, not trying to kill him!"

"I suppose I must also pity you for not being able to bring it down yourself."

"You little-"

"Enough!" Odin demanded, Loki and Thor falling silent. "I will decide what to do next. Whether he was involved or not, he still needs to be found."

"Yes Odin." They replied, bowing as Odin passed them.

"Your words are false brother," Thor growled to Loki, "And I may not be able to show proof, but I do know that child is innocent. I'll find him before you."

"Just try to succeed, my trackers will find him again with ease." Loki scoffed, Skoll and Hati joining him.

"We shall see brother…."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, I'm back! I really need to stop taking such long breaks in between everything! XD Please enjoy this next chapter. Not a lot going on, but it will definitely start picking up a little bit more in the next chapter.

In case anyone is interested, I'm starting do to commissions for fan fiction. If anyone is interested, or if I get enough people interested, I'll put up a link in my bio for anyone to go a look at the list. Please let me know if you're interested!

* * *

(Astrid's POV)

I sighed in frustration as I waited for the other teens to arrive, watching the sun set slowly. Tonight was when Gothi was finally going to tell us what was happening with Hiccup, what was out there that was to be fearful of. I looked up hearing the small group heading in my direction.

"Finally, what took you guys so long?" I demanded.

"We were eating, geez. It's not like the world is ending right now." Tuff complained.

"Sorry Astrid, I couldn't pull them away from the dinner table." Fishlegs apologized, looking nervous.

"It's fine. Gothi's expecting us soon though, lets go."

"So what do you think has Hiccup and Gothi freaked out, how worried should we be?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing that I can't handle." Snotlout bragged.

"I'm not really sure what to expect…. But I'm really worried about Hiccup…." I voiced.

"He's fine, he has Toothless with him! Nothing to worry about." Snotout commented as we reached Gothi's door.

I rolled my eyes, irritated that Snotlout was being a little to casual about this, and knocked. The door flew open instantly causing us all to jump back in surprise. Gothi appeared in the doorway looking at us expectingly.

"Um, evening," I said weakly, "You told us to come talk to you, about Hiccup? At night…when you told us to come."

She nodded and turned her gaze towards the setting sun, blocking the way into her home. We remained silent for a few seconds before Snotlout's patients snapped.

"Are you going to let us in or not!" I held back a laugh as Gothi smacked his staff against Snotlout's head, demanding for silence.

"What are we waiting for?" Ruffnut whispered to me as Gothi turned her attention back to the setting sun.

"For night to be here." I replied. Gothi confirmed with a nod, glaring at the sun for not moving fast enough.

"Do we really have to wait, so what if the sun's up or not." Snotlout complained.

I bit my tongue to hold back my demands for Snotlout to keep quiet as we watched the last remaining lights faded and the sky was a deep blue. Gothi instantly made a fire, the flames warming the cool hut. We entered slowly, watching her toss herbs in as we chose places around the fire. Fishlegs let out a sleigh yelp as he was pulled closer to Gothi, black smoke curling from the flames.

"What's happening…." Tuffnut whispered as the smoke began taking a form. A large tree soon stood before us, over the open flames. Gothi scribbled something into the fallen ashes, Fishlegs reading it quickly.

"She says… this is Yggdrasil."

"The one in lore, connecting the world's together?" I asked, which Gothi nodded again. We continued to watch as the tree began to lose it's leaves, becoming very thin and frail.

"Now what?" Ruff frowned.

"I think it's dying." Fishlegs said.

"Wait, Hiccup said that there was a dying tree in his dreams," I turned to Gothi, "Is this the tree, the one that was visiting Hiccup?"

Another nod.

"Ok, wait, why would Yggdrasil, a legendary tree, come to Hiccup?" Snotlout voiced.

"I don't know…. Gothi, you said you couldn't talk to us last night because… certain things weren't set into motion yet. What did you mean by that, what's happening?"

Gothi gestured back to the fire, the smoke taking on a new shape. Two human forms appeared, one I recognized as Hiccup instantly, the other was much bigger and unknown.

"The larger form… is Odin." Fishlegs read Gothi's writings, sounding very stunned.

"Wait, Odin, the Lord of the Gods? That Odin? Why is everyone so interested in Hiccup all of a sudden?" Snotlout frowned, crossing his arms.

"What does he want with Hiccup?" I asked, worried. A spear appeared in Odin's hand and the form brought it down, the spear going through Hiccup.

"What!?" I stood, fear filling me. "Odin…. Is Hiccup being hunted by the Gods!? Why, what has he done? Do they think he's to blame for what's happening?"

Nod, this time, Gothi looking saddened; I had enough. Standing, I turned away from the fire and marched strait for the door only, but only so far before Gothi brought her staff down in my way.

"I'm going to find Hiccup and bring him home." I said, glaring at her.

"Now, at night?" Tuffnut frowned at my logic.

"I don't care, I'm not letting anyone hurt him." I glared back at Gothi, but she merely pointed back to Fishlegs.

"Um, she wrote that it's not your time to get involved. You're part will be played when it's time."

"Play…my part?"

~**linebreak**~

(Hiccup's POV)

I poked the fire weakly, pressing against Toothless, trying to stay warm. Night had fallen, the wind becoming cold as it blew into the cave. With a combination of a large fire, blankets, and Toothless' belly fire, I was able to keep myself comfortable. I let out a long yawn, but continued to fight sleep, I didn't want to be caught with my defenses down. But sensing that I was exhausted, Toothless gently pushed me down as his wing covered me.

"No Toothless, what if we get discovered? We'll need to get away quickly."

He merely huffed, ruffling my hair as he settled in, curling around me gently for extra warmth. Seeing as I wasn't going to win this argument, I moved closer to him, relaxing into the warmth that he had made. I let out a sigh of comfort before I fell asleep. I was thankful when I woke in the morning, not plagued by talking trees and was feeling very rested. Stretching, I let out a soft moan of contentment before sitting up, sunlight greeting me. A soft roar sounded next to me, Toothless yawning awake before licking my cheek.

"Morning bud." I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck. He rumbled his 'Good morning' the nuzzled against my stomach. "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry too." I stood and learned out of the cave, peering up at the sky. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so maybe they weren't above this island anymore.

"Alright Toothless, lets go see if there's anything to hunt here." I said, pulling my knife out of my pack, tying it back onto the saddle. We made our way down the hillside cautiously before entering the forest. I was thankful for the coverage hoping it would be enough to hide from Odin as I hunted. In about an hour, I let of a noise of distress as I was reminded of how horrible a hunter I was. Sitting on a fallen log, I pulled some dried meat out and began eating, holding a few out for Toothless.

"Ok, new plan, I have a few maps in my pack. If we're able to find which island we're on, I should be able to plan a course back to Berk. Then we can tell my dad what's happening and… then we'll go from there."

Toothless gave a nod, flashing his gummy smile, I scratched under his chin, thinking. "Do you think… that maybe this is my fault?" He let out a snort, clearly upset that I would even suggest it. "I know, but… I just feel like I'm going insane. I don't know what to do, I feel like I'm running in circles."

I smiled weakly as Toothless nuzzled against me to comfort. "Thanks bud."

We remained like that until Toothless let out a warming growl, eyes narrowing on something behind me. "What is it?" I turned cautiously, jumping slightly when I found a stag with large antlers staring at me.

I sat up quickly, Toothless instantly blocking me from the animal. "Bud it's alright, it's just a stag."

"Don't trust everything you see child." I looked back up at the stag, only to find Thor standing in it's place. My eyes widened in fear, stepping away from the God as Toothless continued to shield me. "Please do not fear me child, I wish to help."

"Sorry if I don't believe you since your father attacked me." I snapped back.

"I understand your resentment towards my father and myself, especially after our last encounter, but you must trust me. You will not survive on your own."

"I have Toothless, I'll be fine."

"No offense to your friend, but he can't protect you from everything."

Toothless let out a deep growl. I placed my hand on his head to calm him down. "…What do you want from me."

"Answers."

"I told you everything, there's nothing else really."

"I have my own questions, if you'd be willing to listen," Thor smiled sending my nervousness, "Come, I have food awaiting you and your friend."

My stomach rumbled in need of food, face burning slightly. "You didn't do anything to them did you?"

"Roasted and seasoned, nothing more, nothing dangerous."

"…Fine." We followed Thor to a secluded alcove, a small fire cooking meat placed center. My mouth watered at the smell, realizing how much I missed my dad's cooking… when he actually did so.

"Please eat," Thor said sitting by the fire, "Once you've had your fill we'll talk."

"Did you… bring anything for Toothless?"

" A basket filled with cod," Thor pointed to a woven basket, "I hear it's his favorite."

"It is." I smiled weakly as Toothless knocked over the basket and began to eat. I took one of the sticks holding roasted meat and ate a chunk, moaning softly as it actually melted in my mouth. "What is this?"

"Deer, I'm guessing you've never had it?"

"Only boar's and bird's for game, definitely no deer." I replied, taking another bite. "So… you had questions…."

"That I do, if you'd like to talk now."

"Only if you don't mind if I continue to eat."

"Not at all, try and get your strength back." I finished up the first stick, picking up another as Toothless settled down behind me. Leaning back against Toothless, I began to eat again. "He really trusts you… he is your friend."

"Yep, we're really close." I laughed softly as Toothless nuzzled my cheek. I tore off a piece of deer and tossed it into his mouth.

"You really fascinate me Hiccup, you're unlike any human I've seen."

I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment. "I'll take that as a complement."

"A huge one. I find it odd that your name does not match your personality. Who titled you?"

"I was told my mom did… before she died." I said weakly.

"I'm sorry to hear she passed away."

"She was really sick when my father met her, but they instantly fell in love. He said, when I was born and held in her arms, someone had commented on how scrawny I was. My father was insulted, but my mother only laughed and thought it was fitting as she was ill, that my size only meant I had a big heart. She wanted to name me 'Hiccup' so that when I accomplished something big, everyone would know that size of muscle doesn't matter. She died a few years after I was born."

"And you have done amazing things, she would be proud."

"Yeah, being the downfall of Yggdrasil, she'd be thrilled." I muttered, petting Toothless.

"Hiccup… I don't believe you are the cause of the World Tree dying."

I looked up in amazement. "Really?"

"Indeed. Your defeating of the Red Death did help us, it was a dangerous monster that we couldn't bring down."

"Why is that?"

"While my father will never admit it, I believe that it was impervious to our power as we use magic. So only a mortal's strength could bring it down."

"So I accomplished something good! Why does Odin think I'm causing Yggdrasil to die?"

"There are two reasons that I can see. As Odin believes we could bring the Red Death down, he believes we have become weak when you claimed victory. He's fooled into thinking you hold powers that you will eventually use to overthrow us."

"But I don't, how did he even come to that conclusion?"

"Because of what Loki has told Odin. He keep whispering lies into our father's ears fully convinced that you are to blame. He's completely sure that you're the cause."

"But you don't?"

"No… unfortunately Yggdrasil has been dying long before these events. It's unknown by mortals, but there is a protector of Yggdrasil, Mother Goddess. She gives life to the tree and who keeps the connection to each would open. But she disappeared years ago and Yggdrasil slowly began to die. It's only recently that Odin has been aware of this and why your involvement makes you his reason for it."

I moaned. "Unbelievable… maybe it's that shadow's fault and not mine. Nobody brought that thing up."

"Shadow, what shadow?" Thor frowned.

"Some shadow has appeared in my dreams, it keeps telling me that it's going to find me. So Odin isn't he only one hunting me."

"Wait, Hiccup, has this shadow appeared only when you sleep?"

"It also spoke to me in my village's Elder's hut… saying we need to talk."

"No… that's not possible, how can that barrier be that weak…. And why would he haunt you?"

"Um, sorry, but is there something I should know?"

"You're not suppose to… but if he's coming after you as well…. Yggdrasil serves another purpose than connecting the world's, it also is a holding cell."

"For who?"

"Ragnarök."

"Wait, I thought Ragnarök was an event in which the world ended, not a person."

"Ragnarök is not a person, not even close. He embodies the essence of evil that man holds, what evil acts mortals are capable of. He was locked away long ago in Yggdrasil, Mother Goddess keeping the lock strong so he couldn't escape."

"But you said she disappeared years ago, why is Ragnarök escaping now?"

"Mother Goddess must have done something before she left, knowing something was going to happen to her. But what… We need to go to Yggdrasil."

"What, now?"

"No, tomorrow, my father's on high alert. We might get a chance in the morning, but you need to get your rest."

I looked to the skies, surprised to find the night sky had formed. "How…."

"You slept rather late today and we've talked for awhile. Rest Hiccup, I will watch over you."

~**linebreak**~

(Normal POV)

Hiccup pulled his blankets out of the pack and wrapped them around himself before laying down. Toothless ruffled Hiccup's hair, a large wing completely covering the teen. Thor heard a muffled "Thanks bud", then the world became silent. Watching for a bit, Thor was intrigued as Toothless curled around the hidden form for extra protection and warmth. The dragon released a wide yawn, but refused to close his eyes.

"Rest dragon, I know you've watched over Hiccup the past few days. You can't protect him if you're tired, I can keep guard."

Toothless let out a growl, clearly not happy being told what to do. But he soon tucked his nose under his wing and fell asleep as well. Thor sighed, relaxing slightly as he watched the other company fall into a deeper sleep.

"Hail Thor." A voice rang out from the forest, a person entering the clearing. Thor stood quickly, hammer ready to strike, but relaxed seeing the figure clearly.

"Baldur, what brings you here?"

A teen, appearing to be a few years older than Hiccup, entered into the fire's circle of light. A crop of thick black hair fell just above his ears, steel blue eyes looking around the alcove with interest. "Father sent out searches as soon as the human fled, very worried."

"But why are you here."

"You were very strong, very adamant about how innocent this child was. I knew if I found you, I'd find the mortal."

"I won't let you take him." Thor frowned, blocking Baldur's path.

"I have not interest in taking him."

"Then why do you wish to see him."

"I'm curious as you are."

"…Very well, but I will be keeping an eye on you."

Baldur nodded and walked towards Toothless. "The dragon… is asleep, correct?"

"Yes, and as long as you don't attack, you'll be fine."

Bending down, Baldur cautiously lifted the wing, a look of surprise crossing his face. "This? This twig is what Loki is so worried about?"

"Looks can be deceiving. He's friends with a Night Fury and brought down the Red Death."

"Perhaps Loki does have something to fear."

"Perhaps."

"I know that tone Thor, I did not say for me to fear."

"No, I think Loki has pushed blame onto someone to quickly. But I want to know why, what purpose does he have?"

"I don't know, but we must act quickly if you plan to spear Hiccup." Baldur said. "What must I do?" He asked, standing again, letting the wing drop.

"Keep Odin as busy as possible, keep him off our sent."

"What will you do?"

"I'm taking Hiccup to Yggdrasil."

"Odin is on high alert for that area, he'll know when you set foot there!"

"Which is why I need you to distract."

"Why take the chance?"

"Yggdrasil had commended help from Hiccup, to have him heal. I don't think he's the problem, he's the solution. Having him there, to have him heal, will end this nightmare."

"I trust your judgement, and I'll do what I can, but be careful. If Odin finds you against him, he'll say traitor."

"I know what I must do. I suggest you take your leave, I have much to ponder before the sun rises." Baldur gave a quick bow before disappearing. Taking his place by the fire, Thor looked towards the sky, thinking about what the future held.


End file.
